H2O: Crystal Conduct
by MysticMagically
Summary: Bella, Rikki and Cleo have successfully deflected the comet's course and saved the world, and have discovered that their crystals have developed strange new abilities. Meanwhile, Ryan and Sophie are getting closer to Mako and their secret, leaving the girls to clean up the mess. What antics will they find themselves in, and how will they relate to the upcoming blue moon?
1. Graduation Grievances

**Chapter One**

 **Hey guys, this is my first long-term-plot-heavy-continuation story for H2O! I know, Season 4 stories are so common that they deserve a category in itself, but I couldn't help myself. There was so much left unsaid and undone within the TV series, I just really wanted to fill the gaps and add my own head canon in it as well. I'm hoping that if this story heads in the right direction, then you can expect around 15-20 chapters, each chapter having approximately 3,000 words. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Oh, I forgot to add this. I am not by any means connected to or own H2O: Just Add Water. They belong to their respective producers (mainly Jonathan M. Shiff) and producing companies. This is only my take on what happens after the events of the series finale, and is no way the actual canon continuation. So take it with a grain of salt.**

* * *

Cleo, Rikki and Bella were having a blast at their End of Year Party at the café. Bella sang several of the new songs she and Will composed together, Cleo was spending time with Lewis, and although things were tense between Rikki and Zane, Rikki found herself conversing with him once or twice. While Bella and the Band were taking a brief break from performing, Cleo heard a rustling sound from the café's beaded curtains, and turned to lock eyes with Ryan, formally dressed for the event. He reluctantly ushered for her to come speak with her, obviously about the events that had occurred at Mako Island yesterday. Cleo had been avoiding Ryan ever since, staying in her bedroom when he had come to visit Sam concerning work. She heard herself let out an involuntary groan, and she excused herself, as Ryan led her outside.

Lewis watched as her and Ryan walked out of the café.

That must be Ryan. Lewis mused to himself, recalling the conversation they had beforehand. It came as quite the shock when Cleo explained that the tentacle that was previously attacking them was actually warning them about a comet that was to hit Earth, that Sophie, Zane and Ryan had found the Moon Pool and began stealing crystals embedded within the rock walls, and that Bella, Cleo and Rikki used their powers to deflect the comet, saving the world. It was definitely a mouth full.

Idly standing, Ryan glanced at the canal, before turning back to Cleo, who stared him down bitterly.

"What do you want Ryan?" she asked, impatiently.

"Cleo, I really just wanted to talk to you.."

"About what? About how you destroyed Mako just for some silly crystals?" Cleo blew up, grasping the blue stone around her neck. She usually considered herself a rational person, but when it concerned Mako and her secret, she couldn't help but act unreasonably.

"Look, I really didn't mean any harm, I only wanted to go out there to run some tests, examine the area, to-"

"Ryan, you and I both know that this was about more than just tests…" Cleo was fully aware of the fact that Ryan had been to the Moon Pool, leaving it in ruin.

"Sure, I did go out to excavate the crystals, but it would've been a scientific discovery! There are no accounts of that rock anywhere on Earth! It's unknown to man!"

"Don't you understand how dangerous that was? You could have done much more damage than you've already done. That island means so much to-" She trailed off.

"To whom? To you and your friends? Kim told me that you always seem to be going there." He paused, then continued.

"What's so special about Mako to you anyway? I know that you have some sort of connection to it. You're… always acting mysterious about it, like you're apart of sort of inside…group.."

Cleo furrowed her eyes, but refused to answer, trying not to give away anything. However, this only made Ryan more suspicious. He'd get the answer out of her somehow. He decided to keep pushing.

"You won't tell me, will you? I know you are keeping something from me, Cleo. About the rock's origins, your necklace… And it all leads back to Mako Island.. " He searched for an expression on her face, and found anguish. It suddenly dawned on him. There was a reason she acted so strange around him. "You knew…"

"I'm sorry?" She raised her brow.

"You knew about the crystals, the moon rock, their relation to Mako, their rarity. And as soon as I caught on, you closed up about it. Why?"

Cleo was at a loss for words. Anything that she would say would end up revealing more of the truth. She messed around with her hands, acting as though she didn't hear him. He could tell that she was vulnerable.

"Fine, but I'll let you know, I will find out. I will find out what is so different about you."

Cleo exhaled. She could not believe what she was hearing. "I-is that a threat?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Before he could answer, someone that was coming up from behind them, holding a drink, bumped into Cleo, spilling a bit of it on her bright pink dress. The person tried to apologize, but before they could, she let out a huff, and immediately ran towards the canal, tripping over herself in her heels.

"Cleo?"

She didn't look back until she reached the edge of the water, dived in, leaving a clueless Ryan behind.

"Cleo!" Ryan regretted what he said, he realized how harsh he had been to her. He was certain she was keeping something from her, but even so, he knew he overreacted. He noticed Rikki, Bella, Will and Lewis walking over towards him, questioning what had happened to their friend.

"What did you do?" Rikki demanded, accusation in her eyes.

He held his hands up. "I didn't do anything. She just ran off and dived into the ocean. Look, I don't know what has gotten into her lately, but I only wanted to talk…"

Bella spoke up. "We know what you did Ryan, and we're not going to forget it."

They went off and searched for Cleo, splitting up. Lewis and Will went to Cleo's home, though they didn't have high hopes. They knew that their best bet would probably be Mako, so Bella and Rikki headed towards the underwater entrance.

They found her staring blankly at scattered bits of rock around the sand and ash bank that bordered the body of water. She heard them swimming up behind her, but didn't turn her head until their concerned voices greeted her.

"I can't believe they did this. This is our place, our sanctuary." Cleo whimpered, refusing to let Rikki and Bella see her eyes. Her vision was blurred, it hurt so much to even think back to the conversation she had a few moments ago.

"What happened?"

"Yeah, what did Ryan say to you?"

"He's catching on." She said, a flurry of emotions caught in her reply.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked softly, reaching the edge of the pool.

"I-I… the incident at the café made things worse, he said that we won't stop until he understands why I'm so… secretive.. I knew that letting him in was a risk, and I still took it, and now he's going to figure it out. I only made things worse, and I'm really sorry. I-" Her voice was clouded by grief. Deep down, she was horrified by the possibly of Ryan finding out everything. She understood firsthand how strong-willed Ryan could be. Even after Cleo had said she had given back the rock sample, he still pushed her for more details. It would be the exact same case, only now, Ryan knew that Cleo had a secret she was keeping, so she knew he wouldn't quit until he knew. She just hoped that she could find a way to keep Bella and Rikki from being in the crossfire.

Rikki cautiously hushed her, and reminded her that she didn't intend for him to find the Moon Pool, that she did everything she could to keep him off the trail, and that is what matters. Usually, Rikki found that comforting others and their emotions wasn't her strong suit, but she felt implied to reassure her friend as best she could. She could draw a few parallels to her and Zane's relationship before he found out her secret, and ultimately, she herself couldn't control how Zane found out when he did.

"Yeah, it'll be alright Cleo. Whatever happens, we can deal with it. After all, if we can save the world from a comet that threatened to destroy everything we knew, and handle water attacks on full moons, we can get through this. Together." Putting a hand on Cleo's shoulder, she started to giggle a bit. Even though the Moon Pool was a wreck, it still held the magic that had made it so memorable in the first place. It was still their place.

However, she still wasn't entirely sure they could handle this..

* * *

Cleo woke up at 8 AM to the sound of her alarm clock going off, blaring through her ears as it normally would on a school day. She figured that she must have forgotten to turn off her alarm when she went to bed last night, the idea of it being summer vacation still hadn't been processed through her head. She felt around aimlessly until her hand pressed the snooze button. After a few minutes, she realized that she was wide awake, so she pressed through the urge to stay in bed. Her eyes slowly started to flutter open, sunlight glaring through her bedroom window. Even though it was summer, she still needed to get to work, regardless of the fact that she would be there two hours ahead of time. It gave her more time to work with Ronnie and his tricks. Grabbing her phone, she texted Lewis, not bothering to call Rikki or Bella, they'd probably be asleep, but Lewis would normally be awake this hour.

 _Hey Lewis, I'm heading over to the Marine Park early, would you like to meet me there?_

 _Sure. What's up? Something happen?_

 _What? Do I need an excuse to spend some quality time with my boyfriend before he leaves for the States again?_

 _When it interrupts my early morning fishing, yes._

 _Oh hush. I'll see you there at 9._

 _Sounds good. I'll bring the towels._

 _Lewis, I've had this job for over a year now. I'll be fine._

 _Hey, there's always a possibility._

 _…_

 _Cleo?_

 _…_

 _I see how it is. I'll be there._

After changing, she went down the stairs and approached her father and stepmother, who were making breakfast and reading the newspaper respectively.

"Morning Cleo!" Sam smiled as she made scrambled eggs.

"Good morning, Cleo! I didn't expect you to be up so soon." Mr. Sertori greeted his daughter as Cleo poured herself some coffee and sat at the dining room table.

"Morning. Yeah, my alarm woke me up and I couldn't get back to sleep. I'm going to head out to the Marine Park early."

"Sounds good! Don't forget to have some breakfast before you go."

She grabbed a piece of toast and kissed both of her parents goodbye, before running off to join Lewis at the Marine Park.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." Cleo grinned as they walked off towards the entrance of the park.

"So, what are we planning on doing?"

"I was hoping that we could go see Ronnie, I wanted to show you what I've been working on for the show."

"Alright. Also, I may have brought these." Lewis pointed to several colored towels in his bag.

"You didn't!" Cleo play fought, nudging Lewis in the arm. She took his hand and walked over towards the entrance, scanning a key card she kept in her pocket. The park wouldn't open until 11 AM, so they had a little bit of time to themselves.

* * *

Bella went to visit Will in his boat shack a little later on. She still hadn't informed him of the events that happened last night, and wanted to tell him as soon as possible.

"Hi Bella." Will subtly blushed at his girlfriend. He wasn't expecting her this early, but always seemed to enjoy her company, so he didn't mind.

"Hi, I was just around the area and wanted to drop in. We need to talk." Bella's serious tone made Will drop his playful mood, he knew what they were going to talk about, and something told him that it wasn't entirely good either.

"About last night?"

"Yeah."

"So what happened after Lewis and I went to search for Cleo? You sent me a message saying that you found her, but nothing else."

"She was at Mako, and she wasn't really in a happy mood."

"I saw her talking to Ryan last night, did he.. say anything?"

Bella nodded. "All she said is that Ryan is drawing connections between her and Mako Island, and that he's getting closer."

Will sat up in his chair, alarm in his expression. "That isn't good."

"Yeah, I know. I was hoping, that since your Sophie's brother, that maybe you could try to lead them both off the trail."

"How is Sophie close to your secret? She gave it all up for me, she wouldn't be going back to Mako anytime soon."

"It's just extra precautions. Sophie could be going back to scavenge the crystals from the excavation behind your back, and if she and Ryan try to-"

"And what about the tower of light you guys used two nights ago? That might keep them from going back if the place is 'too dangerous'."

"It could also draw them in further. Look, I'm only asking to see if you can try to find out what they know and what they want to know. It's for all three of us."

"….I know. I'll do it."

"Thanks, for sticking up for us." Bella said softly, starting to embrace her boyfriend in a heartfelt hug.

"You know I always would."

Sophie was just coming in from Rikki's after seeing a flyer for a free-diving competition held locally. Even though Will had said he was tired of competing, she still hoped that he wouldn't mind doing a rather small contest, just for fun. She was about to knock on the door, until she heard Bella and Will talking, very quietly, but still enough for her to hear. She put her ear against the door, and heard the entirety of their conversation. About Ryan, the Tower of Light, everything. She knew she had to tell Ryan about this. They had to go back to Mako.

* * *

"So where is this dolphin area?" Lewis asked as Cleo dragged him behind her.

"Just a little ways past the penguin exhibit. We're almost there."

"How could you have memorized this entire park's layout? The dolphin show tank is towards the back of the park, it must take you forever to get there."

"Not if you swim through the tanks." She grinned mischievously.

"You SWIM there?! Cleo, do you know how many people could-"

"Relax Lewis, I was just messing with you."

They made it towards the back of the park and were immediately bombarded with the eager sounds and clicks of dolphins as they flew through the air, trying to put on a show for their audience of two. A smile spread across both of their cheeks.

"Are they normally this energetic?"

"Dolphins are very social creatures, they love the attention."

"Of course you would know that."

Ronnie was in an individual tank from all of the other dolphins. As soon as Cleo came by, he swam towards the edge of the pool and flicked his tail in pleasure. An array of squeals flew from the bottlenose dolphin.

"Nice to see you too, Ronnie, this is Lewis." Pointing over towards her boyfriend, who awkwardly waved. "I wanted to show him a few tricks that we've been practicing."

In an instant, Ronnie went towards the center of his pool, awaiting Cleo to start. She made different hand signals, to which Ronnie responded with several flips and tricks. Cleo blew the whistle around her neck as a sign of praise. Lewis stared, impressed by his girlfriend's ability to take lead and communicate well with Ronnie. He soon swam back to the dock, satisfied with his morning exercise. Cleo chuckled at the aquatic mammal's awareness, he was obviously expecting a little treat of squid. She began walking towards the small building where the dolphins' food was kept, when she heard a high-pitched voice from behind her…

"That was so much fun! Let's do it again!"

She turned around, puzzled, as to where the voice was coming from. Lewis was sitting near the edge of the pool, but it wasn't his voice, and nobody else was around, because the park was still closed.

"Did you hear that?" Cleo asked, confused.

"No.. I didn't hear anything.."

"Come on! Don't leave me hanging!" the voice continued, as Cleo struggled to find an owner.

"There it is! Again!"

"Well, I can't hear it. What's it saying?"

"To, come play with me or whatever? Who's saying that?"

"I don't really know. I don't hear any voice for miles. The only thing I can hear is this dolphin."

"You don't think…"

Cleo and Lewis looked towards Ronnie, who continued swimming around in circles. Lewis heard squeals and clicks from the dolphin, however, Cleo heard something else..

"Cleo! Let's do it again!"

* * *

Rikki was enjoying a wonderful morning swim. The water was colder than it normally would be, but considering the sun had only been up for two hours, she didn't mind. It was both a privilege and a pleasure for her to be able to swim like this, and she practically did it every hour of the day. Something about the colorful reefs and flurries of different types of fish made her feel a sense of inner peace. She could leave behind her worries about Zane, Sophie, Ryan and the café.

Speaking of the café…

She figured that she should probably head over there. Bella was about to go over and start practicing for her gig, and Rikki promised her she would be there for moral support. She turn abruptly and began swimming in the opposite direction, feeling as though time itself flew with her through the ocean.

"Endlessly searching for an answer,

To problems that I tried to leave behind.

I shunned away from the whole picture,

But even so, you never left my mind.."

Bella paused as Nate attempted a solo on his keyboard, but ended up messing up the notes, muttering under his breath. The rest of the band huffed in frustration- they had been working nonstop on this new song, but couldn't pull it off as quickly as they had other songs they previously practiced and performed.

"It's okay Nate, we can take five for now."

The band disassembled, and Bella went to the counter as Rikki handed her a strawberry and mango smoothie, her favorite.

"Thanks." She smiled, sipping through her cup.

"Don't mention it, I though you'd need it after all that singing. Really liking the new song."

"You'd probably like it even more if I could get the notes right."

"Stop being so modest. It sounds great."

"Coming from the girl who never is modest."

Rikki began a response, but stopped as soon as she saw Bella slightly gazing off to another part of the café. She forced her eyes to follow her glance, and saw it. Ryan and Sophie were talking, not taking notice to Rikki and Bella. As soon as they did, Sophie whispered something, to which Ryan nodded, and they exited the café.

"What do you think they're saying?" Bella wondered.

"Don't know, probably isn't good though. I'll check it out."

"Rikki! Wait!-"

She went off, taking a risk of following where they were going. She wanted to get out of Rikki's anyway, the thought of having to confront Zane would have been too much to handle. They were on speaking terms, however, it would have been awkward just being there, since it used to be her place after all. Sophie took Ryan to Will's boathouse, carefully checking to see if Will was in there, before opening the door and disappearing from Rikki's view.

* * *

"You can talk!?" Cleo asked him, astonished. She figured she must be hallucinating right now. There was no way she could be talking to dolphin, one she knew for three years at that!

"Of course I can! I've been able to do it since birth!" The hyper dolphin exclaimed, before continuing. "You've just never been able to understand me before."

"H-how? How can I do this? I've never been able to do this. Lewis can you-?"

Lewis didn't answer Cleo. He just stared wildly between her and the dolphin, eyes wide open.

"It's probably because you're a mermaid, I know plenty of dolphins who were able to speak to mermaids. I was wondering when you'd be able to speak to me."

"How in the world do you even understand perfect English? I mean, it's impossible, but then again, being a mermaid is basically impossible, but.. How?"

"Oh, you're not talking in English. I'm surprised you haven't heard it yourself."

"What?"

Before she even said that, she saw the crystal on her necklace begin to light up, and her words translated into dolphin instinctively. She heard herself making various squeaks and clicks, and quickly put her hands over her mouth, gasping.

"L-Lewis?" She heard herself squeak again, desperately trying to get his attention. Lewis was staring miraculously at Cleo, but still said nothing. She only realized then that it wasn't because he was in shock, even though she knew he was.

It was because he couldn't understand her.

* * *

 **Sooo this was the first chapter! What do you think? Will Cleo be able to speak normally again? What plans do Ryan and Sophie have? What other powers do you think our trio will develop? Also, please review! It lets me know how I'm doing on the story, what I can improve on, and what elements I need to change. And let me know if I should continue. I have around four chapters done ahead of time, so after I have those posted it might take me a while to update again.**


	2. Dolphin Developments

**Chapter Two**

Lewis lost all sense of feeling. He watched quietly as Cleo and Ronnie conversed, like it was second nature to her. He only snapped out of his trance-like state of mind when he saw Cleo frantically trying to get his attention, alarm in her voice. However, everything she said didn't make sense to him.

"Why are you speaking like that? Can't you stop?" Lewis couldn't find the right words or explanations to process the situation. Cleo evidently didn't know the answer either, the expression on her face giving away that this was the first time something like this had happened to her.

After several more attempts at speaking in English, she shook her head solemnly. She had only just discovered this power, but was starting to hate every second of it. Lewis couldn't understand her, so she had to talk through other means.

Cleo frantically kept on speaking, trying to get her regular voice back, but instead, she kept on squeaking. She paced back and forth, concluding in her mind that if she didn't go back to normal, there would be no way for her to do her job. She gave Lewis a look of distress.

He caught on to this, and tried to get her to calm down. "Hey, it's going to be okay. We'll try to sort this out. You can call Laurie and tell him you need a sick day."

"Do you really think that I can call him right now? How would he react when I'm trying to speak in him in DOLPHIN? He wouldn't understand me!" She knew Lewis wouldn't know what she was saying, so she let out a click in annoyance.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I guess I'll call him. Here, let me see your phone. He wouldn't know it was me if I called from mine."

Cleo handed him her phone and went over to Ronnie, who looked at her with a worried expression, if a dolphin could ever pull that off.

"I'm really sorry, I'm going to have to miss training, you could get one of the other trainers to do it today."

"It's okay. I understand your current… predicament. Although I am going to miss doing tricks with you." Ronnie reassured her, and Cleo smiled. It was incredible being able to finally understand Ronnie. She questioned whether this newfound ability would work with other dolphins, and more importantly, if she'll be able to fix this. She couldn't imagine living her entire life where people were not able to understand her.

"Okay, Laurie said that it's fine. Let's go to your house and try to get you back to normal. I'll call Rikki and Bella." Before she could protest, he grabbed her and they started towards the exit. The park was about to open, so they didn't have long. They made it to the gates just in time- people were beginning to line up to enter, when they sprinted towards the house

* * *

When Lewis called, Bella responded saying she was on her way to Cleo's. Rikki was still undertaking her mission to eavesdrop on Sophie and Ryan, at Will's house. She stood at the doorstep, listening through the walls as Sophie recounted what she overheard from Bella and Will.

"We need to go back to Mako."

"Sophie, I told you, I'm not going to go back there. It's too dangerous, it wasn't stable."

"Come on, Ryan! Those crystals are still there! If the foundation wasn't stable, then the entire cave would have collapsed. I didn't hear anything when we came out."

"Still, what about what we saw-"

"What about what we saw? The tower of light from that volcano? Listen, I heard straight from my brother that it was caused by three girls, one of which I know pretty well. And from what I've seen, I think you might know someone else who was involved." Sophie explained, let Ryan soak it in, then continued. "They said they have a secret. I say, we find it out before anything else happens, and the only place we can find it out is Mako."

"I-I still don't know. This isn't right."

"What wouldn't be right is if someone got to that cave before we did and took advantage of the work we already put into this! You don't want those girls to mess up what we fought for, for them to get the fame, do you?" Her toned start to soften. "All I'm asking for is two hours, to get in, get the crystals, maybe run a few tests on the surroundings at your liking, then get out. Please." She tried to hide the desperation in her voice. Without Ryan, Sophie had no way of going back, and she was longing to head back there after what had happened a few days ago.

Ryan sighed. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt go back and survey the damage." He bit his lip. "Alright. Tomorrow evening."

Rikki felt her heart jump. She had to tell the others.

Sophie grinned. "Sounds good to me. Let's get out of here, if my brother finds me here messing with his stuff, then he would kill me."

Ryan nodded. Rikki took this as her cue to leave, and started running away from the shack before Sophie could find her. Ryan took a look around the area, and found several papers on a wooden table, including a drawing of a mermaid tail, a journal analysis, and a few quick sketches of the design of the crystal necklaces, before putting it all into a folder he found labelled 'Mako Island' and leaving.

* * *

Bella knocked on the door to Cleo's house, and was pulled inside by Lewis up to the bedroom. Confused, Bella said hello and looked to Cleo, who was sitting on the bed. Cleo waved and felt around her throat, trying to convey the message that she couldn't speak, however, Bella didn't catch on.

"I came as soon as Lewis texted me, what's the problem?"

Lewis answered for the both of them. "Cleo can't exactly speak at the moment."

"Why?"

He looked towards Cleo, waiting for her to show Bella what had happened at the Marine Park. Cleo hesitantly tried to communicate with the golden blonde, but ended up squeaking instead. Bella opened her mouth to try to say something, but couldn't formulate a sentence that didn't start with 'how'.

Lewis then took the time to explain what exactly happened, Bella listening attentively to all the details.

"So, now Cleo is stuck speaking dolphin?" Bella repeated, trying to debate whether she was in awe or disbelief. They had never been able to do this beforehand! She imagined hearing the chatter of fish and sea creatures as she swam through the ocean, and the endless possibilities that awaited if she also inherited that capability.

Cleo and Lewis both nodded.

"This must be a new power. What could have caused it?"

"We were thinking that it might have been the comet that triggered the ability."

"That would explain why we felt the water changing while the comet was actually heading towards Earth. We could be gaining a stronger connection towards marine life and the sea."

"We need to start figuring out how to reverse this, and fast. Cleo can't be like this when her family comes home."

"Have you tried anything yet?"

"So far, we've tried drinking water, reading, and trying to repeat the alphabet. Nothing's worked."

Bella pondered for a moment, trying to figure out what they could do, when a knock came on the door. Cleo started moving to get to it, but Lewis stopped her, and before she could object, he jumped down the stairs to greet the guest. What he found wasn't a surprise.

"Hi, is Cleo here?" Ryan asked, looking around. Lewis couldn't help but glimpse at a folder he held within his hand, but then hurriedly looked back up to avoid suspicion.

"Hey, um, yeah, she is, but-"

"Great! I need to talk to her."

Ryan let himself in and went to the steps, climbing to Cleo's room. Lewis tried to catch up with him, however, he couldn't make it in time as Ryan entered the room uninvited. Bella and Cleo turned to see him, and immediately scowled.

"Cleo, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Cleo looked to Bella, as Bella knowingly answered.

"She doesn't want to talk to anyone right now, especially you."

"Well, you're here."

"Yes, because I'm her _friend_."

"And I'm not? Listen, I really have to talk to her. It's incredibly important."

"Can't you see that she isn't in the mood to talk?"

"Yeah, she's right. I think that the best course of action is for you to go." Lewis began pushing Ryan out of the entrance of the room, but before he could grasp him, Ryan looked towards Cleo, and saw her crystal subtly glowing. The door of her bedroom closed, and as she heard the door to the house close, Cleo let out a huff in anger. However, she didn't stop there.

"Who does he think he is, barging into my room and demanding that I talk to him? He definitely had his share of talking last night!" She exclaimed loudly, and Bella immediately shushed her squealing.

"Cleo, you have to be quiet, they still might be here."

Ryan hadn't left the house, but instead, Rikki had come in, and had slammed the door shut, only to find Ryan and Lewis staring at her tensely.

"I.. have to go speak to Cleo…"

"Of course you do.." Ryan sighed.

All three of them rotated towards the upstairs quarter as they heard dolphin noises coming from Cleo's bedroom. Rikki noticed Lewis letting out the breath he had been holding in, and immediately realized there was something in that room Ryan couldn't see.

"What was that?" Ryan inquired, heading straight up the stairs again, Rikki and Lewis immediately following after. Opening the door, Cleo and Bella saw Ryan coming in (again) as he began interrogating them about the source of the sound. Cleo opened her mouth to form a sentence, but then immediately shut it, knowing that she had no say in the matter.

"It was my phone." Bella explained calmly as Ryan gave her an are-you-sure look. "Cleo was just showing me a video she took of the dolphin show at the Marine Park." Cleo smiled and nodded, agreeing to her friend's cover up. They had gotten better at lying over the years, keeping a mermaid secret definitely called for it. As much as they didn't want to admit it, they had become used to it.

"Yeah, why don't you go sometime? I heard that it's really good. At least it'll keep you from here." Rikki went along, (muttering the last part) shoving Ryan down the steps and showing him the door.

"But-" He began, as Rikki and Lewis smiled at him from the other side of the door. Once they were positive he was gone, they exhaled in relief, then Rikki began.

"What the heck was that all about? What was up there? What was he doing here?"

"He just showed up uninvited and long story short, you guys have a new power."

"What do you mean 'new power'? I haven't noticed anything different." They rushed back to the bedroom to find Bella and Cleo on the bed, Cleo struggling to read from a book Bella had chosen on, ironically enough, dolphins, figuring that it might prompt her response to be English. Instead, the words on the page translated effortlessly into clicks and other noises. She groaned despairingly.

Bella filled her in. "Apparently we can understand and speak dolphin now."

"And she can't talk now?"

"Nope."

"How delightful.." She moaned, sarcasm clearly showing through her voice. However, she took a moment to think about the issue. "Wait a moment, if we can understand dolphin, then why can't we understand what she's saying now?" The three of them looked at Rikki, not expecting such an analytical question from her.

"My guess is that you guys can only understand it if it's coming from another aquatic creature." Lewis replied after thinking it through, but realized that what he said could be tested. "Wait a moment, if we just.." He went to the bathroom that was connected to Cleo's bedroom and retrieved a cup of water.

"Wait, can't we just try something else? We don't really need to.." Cleo started but cut herself off.

"Why don't you two get off the bed for a moment." Lewis suggested, as Bella and Rikki sat up and took a step backwards. He then proceeded to pour water on her arm, causing the transformation.

"Great…" Cleo complained, looking at her golden fin, before clasping her throat. She could talk normally again! "…wait, you can understand me, right?" She continued, before propelling herself up against the back part of her bed.

"We don't hear the sounds of a dying dolphin, so yes." Rikki joked, resulting in a nudge in the shoulder from Lewis.

"Thanks goodness…"

"I don't get it, how is she speaking normally now? It's like the power only affects her in her human form."

"But that wouldn't make sense, Ronnie said that he knew several dolphins from the ocean that could speak to mermaids." Cleo contradicted, leaving the others partially stunned.

"Wait, there are other mermaids?"

"Surely we can't be the only ones, there was that cave in Ireland where I was changed, and Mako Island, who knows how many others there are and how many people were affected."

A long, drawn out pause that must have lasted minutes on end was only interrupted by Cleo transforming back to normal, but as soon as she did, her necklace began to glow, then the light faded, and once again she was back to speaking dolphin.

"Did you see the necklace? It started to glow as she transformed, and then she started speaking dolphin again. Do you think the necklace was causing it?" Bella theorized, before looking to Lewis.

"Possibly. She didn't have her necklace on in her mermaid form, and then she was speaking as she usually does. As soon as it came on again, that changed."

"So it's cursed…?" Rikki sat down beside Cleo, and began staring at her crystal.

"Maybe, but I think the comet might have done something to it. It could have enhanced the crystals' ability, and given them new ones."

"So, do we just take the crystal off?"

"Something must have activated it on accident, like when you were with Ronnie," Lewis looked towards Cleo, who nodded. "So if you were the one to activate it, you must have the power to deactivate it. In theory, that is.."

Cleo squeaked again, holding her crystal and shrugging. She didn't know if she got the message across, but by the puzzled look on her friends' faces, she assumed she didn't do a very good job. Only when they heard the door of the house open did she begin panicking. Bella looked towards Rikki and Lewis, who glanced at each other.

"We locked the door, didn't we..?" Rikki nervously asked.

"Yeah, we did. That must be Sam coming back from work." Lewis had been to Cleo's many of times, and knew that her stepmother usually came home around 4.

"Cleo! Are you home? I heard that you came home from the Marine Park early. What happened, honey?" Sam put down her belongings on the couch and began walking to her room.

Fidgeting with her hands, Cleo desperately tried to do something to her necklace to fix her voice. She twisted her hand just as would do when controlling water, and noticed the crystal lighting up and dimming once more. Unsure of whether it worked or not, she turned to see Sam at her doorway and took a deep breath.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, I just, lost my voice and needed to come home." She said shakily, and while she didn't necessarily intend it, it actually made her story more believable. After hours of unintended squeaking, her throat was killing her.

"Oh. I'll go make you some tea, it'll help. Would you guys like any?" She asked, referring to Bella, Rikki and Lewis. All three of them nodded graciously, and Sam happily fetched them some tea. All Cleo could do was stare wondrously down at the crystal, then look to the rest of the group.

"I don't think we should be wearing these for quite some time." She looked down, then went on. "If the crystals really have new abilities, then until we know how to control them, we should keep them safe, they could cause some trouble." Bella and Lewis agreed, leaving Rikki to argue against it.

"No, I think we should continue wearing them. Cleo, you saw that you were able to turn it off with your powers, that must mean that we can learn to control the effects. Whenever we gain a new ability through the necklace, we should be able to learn how to use it properly instead of just putting it away."

"Well, whatever happens, we know we can't let these fall into the wrong hands. There are tons of them at Mako, and who knows if they all possess the same kind of power, or who can wield them. So we need to be careful." Bella reassured them. She turned to Rikki, and then saw the worry in her expression.

"What's wrong?" Cleo asked, catching on as well.

"I forgot all about it, as soon as I came over, I had to tell you something important, but with Ryan here and this situation, I couldn't tell you right away, otherwise he would've known.."

"Slow down Rikki, start at the beginning and tell us from there." Lewis spoke, and Rikki took a few breaths and told the group the news.

"I went to follow Ryan and Sophie to Will's boathouse…"

"Yeah, you told me at the café you would, what did you hear?"

"They're going back to Mako Island tomorrow evening."


	3. Answers Lead to More Questions

**Chapter Three**

 **Hey Everyone! I apologize for how short this chapter is compared to the other two, I promise that this and the next one are only short to build up for the trip to Mako Island, which should be quite eventful, and a turning point in the story. All I can say is that the H2O Gang are sure going to be in for a treat, and we're not even close to the climax of this story! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Will was unaware of Sophie's plan, and had been at the beach, waiting for Bella to join him for a swim, when Ryan and Sophie had invaded his boathouse. It was unusual for Bella not to show up for their dives, it was something the couple always grabbed at when they had the opportunity to do so. So when he eagerly accepted Bella's phone call, he didn't expect what he heard, and the disarray in her voice.

"Oh hey, Bella. I was wondering where you were, I thought you'd be here for our evening swim."

"Hey Will, sorry about that. There was something urgent at Cleo's house I had to attend to. Listen, Rikki overheard Sophie and Ryan talking at your boathouse."

"That's weird, I'm pretty sure I locked the door on my way out." Will took a moment, then sighed, realizing his error. "Sophie has a key to my house."

"Well, she mentioned that her and Ryan were planning on going to Mako."

"Mako? When?" Will questioned in disbelief. A jumble of thoughts rushed through his head. Sophie had said she would drop it!

"Tomorrow night." Bella quickly answered. "Whatever you do, don't let her know that you know. It would only make things more complicated, and she'd wonder who you heard it from."

Will nodded, then realized she couldn't see him. "Alright. I'll try to get it out of her, see if I can find a way to keep her from going."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later. Bye." Before he could answer, she hung up, leaving Will to jog back to his boathouse. He'd probably head over to Rikki's afterward, Sophie was bound to be working an extra shift there tonight. Ever since the incident at Mako, she had been doing her best to make it up to Zane, who had reluctantly let her stay. Although Sophie had made a huge mistake, Zane tried to overlook it, the café was going downhill and he needed someone who would work for less, which she happily volunteered to do.

Reaching his faded blue wooden house, he grabbed the door handle and found that the house was indeed unlocked. He was unsure of what he would find as soon as he opened the door, but as he did, he noticed the inside was clear at first glance. Everything looked like it was in place, as he slowly exhaled in relief. Walking towards the wooden table in the middle of the room, he searched through his papers, and realized that he had left several of them out in the open. He then noticed that the folder concerning Mako Island had vanished, and rapidly went through the entire room, hunting for the numerous pages and entries he recorded within the collection. When he had searched every crevice and space in his domain, he concluded that it had been stolen. But what he had also started to register in his mind, was that the fact that several of the sheets referenced Bella, Cleo and Rikki, not directly stating their secret, but mentioning their connection to Mako, before and after he truly knew about them.

* * *

After he had left Cleo's house, Ryan headed straight for the National Park Authority Research Institute. It was after hours, so he had the area to himself to look through the folder he had found at Sophie's brother's place, curiosity flooding through him. Thinking back to Sophie's cryptic conversation about 'knowing who was responsible for the tower of light at Mako' only made him faster, until he had reached his office at the other half of the facility. He took a seat at his desk and moved all other forms of paperwork out of the way until he had enough space to examine the folder closely.

There was nothing special about the outside of it, it was a cream colored folder with 'Mako Island' written on the left hand side, under it stating 'Top Secret' as a safeguard. The first contents included the papers he had initially found and stuffed within the folder carelessly. He read and inspected them once more, until he got to the sheets he hadn't read yet. Most of them were sketches of Mako Island and assorted fossils he had found when diving. Then he got to the picture of Bella connected to Mako Island, the full moon and apparently some sort of water jelly substance, which confused him, until he looked at the journal entry added underneath.

 _There was something strange about Bella, from the moment I met her. Don't get me wrong, she's a very sweet girl and all, but there were always strange occurrences happening around her, not to mention how it seems like she is keeping a secret from me._

Keeping a secret? Ryan pondered to himself for a brief second. Wasn't this also the girl Cleo seemed to be close friends with? So it's some sort of joint secret that they keep, that probably has to do with Mako Island and the crystals.

 _I can recall clearly the events that happened at Mako after I was attacked by the water tentacle, when the walls started glowing and the column of water in the middle of the pool grew and became alive.. All three of them- Bella, Cleo and Rikki, had found me laying unconscious on the floor of that sea cave, saying that I must of hit my head in order for me to have seen such a strange predicament. Something had told me they knew more than they were letting on, but I quickly dismissed it. What I started to question after I swam out was how they got there- there wasn't a boat from what I had seen, and they couldn't have dived in, they were completely dry._

Hang on a moment, did he say a water tentacle? That couldn't be right.. Unless the water tentacle was what they had seen a few nights ago- the tower of light, only larger. In that case, if Sophie mentioned the girls being responsible for the tower of light, were they also responsible for the water tentacle and the other happenings at Mako? What about the time he had first visited the island? When he found the sea cave and tried to touch the walls, they started glowing blue. That's exactly what Will describes in his account. His mind told him that there was something off about this, something.. supernatural, impossible even. He started to really question who Cleo and her friends were. He flipped through the pages, until he finally found another entry, with another attached to the back.

 _There was also that time at Cleo's house when I asked to work with Bella on an assignment, I walked in on the three of them in raincoats. They immediately led me out, and as I was about to leave, I noticed they were standing at the edge of canal, trying to catch what seemed to be a floating ball of water. Then I saw Bella twisting her hand, and immediately, the ball fell into a bowl. After rushing over, I saw a fish encased in this gelatin-like substance that immediately became water after I touched it. They denied having anything to do with it, but I could definitely tell that Bella had done something to it, she seemed to have this connection to water. I'll try to get an answer out of her, and I think I know how._

He turned to the back.

 _I found out her secret. After a heated argument, I poured some water on her and she dived into the canal. I followed her and saw what she had been keeping from me ever since we had first met. It took a lot to process, but I realized that this shouldn't change my feelings for her. If anything, this made my feelings for her stronger._

 _I found out about the others a few weeks later, I understand why they had to keep it from so many people, just one mistake could affect the rest of their lives. I hope that they'll accept me and let me help them._

So Will apparently knows their secret, Ryan thought to himself, as he scanned the other papers. The journal entries stopped there, but there were multiple sheets of notes and observations, including one on the crystals.

 _Mako Crystal: Not found anywhere else on Earth, found within rocks in the Moon Pool. Have magnetic properties and seem to attract each other. When two or more crystals come in contact with one another, they create an immense surge of energy and can cause blackouts. Shares an effect similar to that of the full moon when connected, which has a trance-like reaction on Cleo, Rikki and Bella._

A trance-like reaction? Surge of energy? And what does it mean by 'full moon'? Granted, he knew the rocks were magnetic, but these crystals seemed to be the source of the property. If the rocks on Mako resembled moon rocks, does that mean that there are crystals embedded within the moon? Now Ryan was really bewildered. With every new piece of information he received, he gained twice as many questions, and it really did seem as though the three girls were in the middle of it all. He knew for certain though, that they weren't exactly normal.

Sam was walking down the hallway when he spotted Ryan in his office, gawking at the folder's contents. Stopping at the doorway, she knocked to get his attention, to which he jumped and turned to look at her, surprised.

"M-Mrs. Sertori… What are you doing here?"

"Finishing up a few files.. What are you doing here, Ryan?"

"I.. well.." Ryan immediately shut the folder and blushed in embarrassment.

Sam walked over to where Ryan was sitting and glanced at the folder until she stopped at the words 'Mako Island'. She nodded disapprovingly at him.

"Ryan, this is not apart of your assignment. I told you not to mess around over there, we have much more important affairs."

"But Mrs. Sertori, there are so many extraordinary things there that haven't been seen before! If I had just one chance to-"

"You're not being paid to explore Mako, you're being paid to do your job, and if you continue this, you won't have one, now good day." She started to walk out, before Ryan stopped her.

"W-wait! I can show you!" He apprehensively searched through the folder until he found what he was looking for. When he did, he held up a photo of a blue stone on a thick brown string that Will had taken. He waited for her to look at it, before he made his case. "This is a picture of a type of crystal that I believe is unknown to the world. It has properties that I have certainly never seen before in a stone, and it's found at Mako. If I had the funding, we could go out there and retrieve these crystals, and record other conditions contributing towards the environment."

Sam's expression started to soften. She had never really seen a crystal like Ryan's before, the only one considerably close to it was a sapphire, but even so, it wasn't that identical either. Ryan hopefully awaited her response.

Sam let out a sigh. "Ryan, I'm not in charge of project management or funding. You'd have to talk to someone else for that. While this does seem like an interesting research project, I can't help you there. Until then, why don't you work on what you're given?" She walked away, leaving Ryan in his office, considering what she had said. He shrugged it off, reminding himself that tomorrow night, he'd answer this mystery himself.

* * *

"What did Will say?" Rikki impatiently looked towards Bella, who had just finished her conversation with him. Bella shrugged, as she placed phone within the pockets of her shorts. "Not much. He mentioned that he was going to try to persuade Sophie not to go, but I really don't understand how he'll do it without Sophie inferring that he's aware of the trip."

"Well, I guess that means it's in our hands now."

"Not necessarily, I mean, how are we going to stop them without giving them the impression that we're up to something as well? Ryan already knows that I'm hiding something from him. What if we make a mistake and dig ourselves into a bigger hole than we already are in?" Cleo pursed her lips.

"You guys could follow them, make sure they don't find anything." Lewis suggested.

"And if we get caught?"

"Say you're, I don't know, going camping or something. Ryan already knows you go out to Mako a lot, he might assume it's just a harmless trip."

"Or they might find it 'ironic' that we end up going there the same night they are off on a secret excavation and question our true motives." Rikki sighed in frustration. "It's at times like these when I wish Emma were here, she'd know what to do.."

"Isn't she the girl you transformed with at Mako Island? I heard you two mention her once or twice, I just wanted to be sure."

Cleo nodded. "She went with her family to explore the world, she should be coming back before college begins."

Sam entered the room, and handed cups of tea to the foursome. She was met with a chorus of "thanks" before grinning towards the teenagers. On her way out, she caught a glimpse of Bella's necklace, and turned back to see the exact same necklaces on the other two girls. She immediately noticed the uncanny resemblance to the picture Ryan had showed her at work, mainly the electric blue crystals that hung from dark brown string, and went to question them about it.

"I didn't realize you three wore the exact same necklaces before. Might I ask where you got them?"

"Oh, they were given to us by a friend of ours." Cleo answered her stepmother, technically not being dishonest. She really loathed lying to her family, and was satisfied that she could reply to her with the truth, albeit vague.

"That's odd, I could've sworn I saw Ryan in the office showing me a picture of a stone necklace similar to yours, from Mako Island I believe. He had a whole folder on the matter." The middle aged woman didn't seem to notice the concerned glances the group exchanged to one another. Lewis piped up.

"Why did he show you that? Surely they aren't anything special."

"Ryan believes that they're a new type of gemstone, with unknown characteristics. But, obviously, he was wrong, since you would have had to have known about them to possess them. Anyway, sorry for troubling you, just thought I might ask."

"It's no bother, Sam. Thank you." The door shut once more, as they took a moment to process what Sam had said.

"How in the world did he get a picture of one of our necklaces?!" Rikki fumed, positive that there could have been no way for Ryan to have encounter the necklace, much less photographed it. Cleo and Bella stared cluelessly at the stones on their neck, speechless over the recent development.

"Didn't Mrs. Sertori also mention a folder? How could he have gotten a folder's worth of information? He's only been to Mako twice!"

"Yeah, I think she did. I recall Will taking and putting some notes into a folder about Mako, but he couldn't have.." Bella couldn't find the words to finish her sentence.

"Wait a second. Rikki, didn't you say Ryan and Sophie were at Will's boathouse talking about heading over to Mako?"

"Yes… And?"

"Well, Ryan must have stolen the folder and looked through it. He might have found a photo of the necklace from there- Will could have taken one before giving the necklaces to us."

"So you're saying that Ryan has obtained the key to everything we have learned and discovered about Mako and the crystals.. And possibly our secret?"

"Relax Rikki, Will wouldn't be careless enough to mention our secret."

"But he was careless enough to make an entire folder on Mako in the first place, and leave it out in the open for someone to take it! You know, it won't be long until he pieces it together."

"One of us will have to talk to him, find out what he knows." Bella began.

"I can't. Evidently, he doesn't trust me, it'll have to be someone else." Cleo put her hands up, semi guilt tripping herself for getting them into this situation in the first place.

"Don't look at me, I can't get near him without a mention of Zane. They did work together to blow up the Moon Pool, after all."

Bella, Rikki and Cleo stared at one another thoughtfully, before turning their heads to Lewis.


	4. Fantasy or Fate?

**Chapter Four**

 **Hey Guys! Sorry for this chapter being late and rather short, I have to admit it's more filler than anything, but I also wanted to introduce the magical conflict (for lack of better term). I've been officially diagnosed with Writer's Block. I know where I want the story to go, but I've been having difficulty conveying it, so I know this chapter is probably trash XD. Hopefully I'll get over it before the next chapter is released.**

 **I am really grateful to** **those of you who have followed the story and reviewed it! I'll start shoutouts this chapter!**

 **Thank you to** **CaitlynDreamsofMagicalThings, Louisaxo, Makodragon, MerlinWolf, Silver Dragon Master, TheLifeStruggleIsREAL, and mermaidbyheart for following the story! I hope you are enjoying it so far, and the direction it's heading!**

 **Also, I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten so far! Your feedback has definitely been helpful when putting together the final product! I hope that throughout the course of this story, my writing will improve drastically!**

 **So without further ado, onto the chapter!**

* * *

Lewis felt nothing but joy as he searched through his girlfriend's green eyes, and as a wide grin crept to her face. He immediately felt relieved that all the trouble he had went to had been worth it to see the surprised look on her face. A blanket was laid out on the sand, overlooking the shimmering ocean and the rest of the beach, several candles in place and a seafood platter set up for the two of them. He couldn't think of any other place he would want to do this- it was the best setting for a romantic evening with Cleo.

"You really went out of your way to do all of this." Cleo looked towards Lewis, amazed.

"It was nothing. You would've done it for me."

"Is that some kind of hint?" She chuckled.

"Maybe."

They sat down, and shared their supper together. Their conversations flowed naturally- there wasn't a single moment for the entirety of the date that they didn't have something to talk about, whether it was college or what their lives would be like after Lewis finally finished his three year course in America, or sharing laughs over seemingly insignificant events. Everything went perfectly for the couple, until it neared the end of their evening, the sun began to set as the sky transitioned into a starry scape.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale." Lewis asked, concerned for his girlfriend, who was rather drained. However, she responded cheerily, not noticing the troubled expression Lewis was wearing.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" The bags under her eyes told him otherwise.

"We should probably put this away." She began to stand up, but found that her legs gave out, and she toppled onto the sand with a halfhearted laugh. She repeated this, but to no avail, her grin starting to wear away.

"Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, just suddenly feel a little tired, I guess."

She put her hand on top of his, but found that she phased right through him. Panicked, she tried again, only to encounter the same outcome. He noticed that the rest of her body began to blend in with the scenery behind her, it was becoming visible through her. They both exchanged looks of pure consternation.

"What's happening?" He could hear the fear and dismay in her voice, as she looked up to Lewis expectantly.

"I-I don't know." He glanced over to the sea, and found that a full moon overlooked it, his nerves shot with a growing notion that the moon was responsible for their problem. He brought his attention back to Cleo, whose necklace started glowing, illuminating a soft blue light. He noticed that as it started glowing brighter, she began to look weaker, and fade away much quicker. She didn't appear to be in pain, but he noticed that her eyes started to mist, as she recognized the helplessness that was beginning to settle in.

"Lewis, I'm scared." Never in his life had he felt so powerless. He tried numerous times to reach for the crystal, which wasn't diminishing with Cleo, but an outburst of energy released when he attempted to do so, causing him to stumble back. He even tried to pull Cleo up with him, but in her state, she wasn't able to grasp his hand, nor move. Tears started to burn his cheeks and eyes, he didn't know what he could do. Looking back to the moon, it started reflecting a blueish color. It was only then he realized…

The blue moon.

The crystal seemed to be draining energy from her body, which also seemed to have an effect on her physical makeup, transferring the energy to the moon. The moon took the energy and bounced it back as blue light. As soon as he figured it out, he glanced towards Cleo.

"Cleo, I-I don't know how to help you. I need to-" He could barely see her, her necklace being much more visible and recognizable against her.

"It's okay Lewis. You need to warn Bella and Rikki. Tell them to take off their necklaces, it won't get to them then." She instructed, as if her worry had dissolved and nothing were wrong, which was unlike her. She had apparently come to the same conclusion and accepted it. If the situation hadn't been so urgent, he would have questioned her uncharacteristic rationality. "I love you."

"But-" He felt his heart breaking. Leave her? He couldn't, he had to figure out how to stop this somehow.

"GO!" A blood curdling scream escaped from her mouth, as his surroundings faded to darkness.

No.

 _No._

 _NO._

Lewis bolted awake, bumping his head on the back of his bed, groaning in the process.

It was only a dream.

He waited for his heart rate to return to normal, before staring off towards his bedside table, regaining consciousness. On it, was a photograph of him and Cleo, an alarm clock, and a calendar that counted down the days until he would return to America, the date highlighted being January 28, 2010. Now wide awake, he rushed out of bed, almost tripping on his carpet, towards his desk. Opening his laptop, the precise sound of tapping on his keyboard broke the silence that filled the room, until he found the right webpage. From there, he scribbled a note to himself, walked over to his nightstand once more, and circled a date with a description.

January 31, 2010, Blue Moon

* * *

Cleo packed up her things within her locker and headed off for the dolphin tank. A sense of dread hung over her, as she constantly reminded herself that today was the day Ryan and Sophie would be heading off to Mako. Luckily, knowing how busy her shift normally was, she reassured herself that she would be preoccupied enough to push those thoughts to the back of her mind, and instead focused on the eager sounds of dolphins as they flew through the air.

"Cleo! Hey, Cleo!" Ronnie called over to the mermaid, who had just bend over towards his tank. She checked to see if anyone was watching, before replying back.

"Hey Ronnie! How's the water today?" Cleo couldn't contain the growing smile that threatened to take over her face. There was still a sense of awe within her over the fact that she had this incredible new ability.

"It feels great! Perfect for a swim!" He hinted for her to come join him, to which Cleo laughed.

"I know, but I can't exactly get into the water at the moment. If anyone saw me, I'd probably end up in a tank across from yours."

"Oh well, the offer was there." The dolphin sped around the rim of the tank joyfully, and looked back up expectantly at his trainer.

"Cleo!" She heard a familiar voice off into the distance. Standing up, she walked towards Laurie, as the dolphin watched curiously from the water.

"Oh, hi Laurie. What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how you were feeling. Lewis told me you had come down with something and had to head home." Concern was evident within his voice, and Cleo began to feel bad for having to lie to him about what had actually happened yesterday.

"Oh, yeah… I'm really sorry, there were a few developments. But I feel much better now, thank you." She beamed warmly, but inside scolded her choice of wording.

"If only he knew…" Ronnie interrupted, receiving a backwards glance from Cleo. For once, she was glad that the exchange they shared was unheard and unrecognized by others, he was practically the equivalent of another side of her conscience. Laurie looked at her strangely, but then continued towards another part of the facility. She turned towards the dolphin, who let out a sheepish click.

"You know, one of these days I'm going to get caught talking to you, and they'll think I'm insane." She stated, in a bit of a playful tone, before grasping her whistle and adding. "Ready when you are."

* * *

Rikki walked into the café that morning on important business. As much as she didn't want to, she had to talk to Zane about the Sophie and Ryan situation. They had all agreed that Zane would be beneficial for the rest of their plan, since he would have more influence over Ryan and Sophie's decisions. Trying not be rash, she made her way towards the office, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. A muffled "Come in." invited her to open the door, and the pair locked eyes for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Zane was sitting up in his seat, typing on a computer. A familiar 'Da Boss' label laid on his work area, along with several other knick-knacks. But what caught her eye was the picture of her and Zane that was still on the right-hand side of the desk. Memories flooded through her, as she shook her head to focus on her task.

"Can I help you?" He looked up and saw her staring at him, with a lack of hostility that was normally shown on her face. "Rikki. I-"

"Listen, I need to talk to you." Her voice was rather solemn and quiet, without the usual characterized fiery tone and attitude that he had known her to have. He stopped glancing at the computer screen and gave his undivided attention to her. "I'm all ears."

There was a long and drawn out silence, tension burning between the two, before Rikki found the courage to speak up.

"So, I know things have been on and off between us, but I wanted to put things behind us." He nodded patiently, watching her movements intently. "So you want us to-" He began.

"No, I don't want us to get back together. But even so, I think there's a possibility that we could be friends." Rikki felt herself cringe as she said that. Despite the fact that she was coming out and giving him a chance, a part of her still didn't accept it, not after what he did.

He got up out of his chair and rushed to her side. "Rikki, I've wanted to hear that since the day we broke up. I know what I did was stupid and frankly, unforgivable, and I want to make it up to you. So maybe one day we can be more than friends."

Now this was the moment she'd been waiting for. "Actually, I do have something to ask of you."

Taking her hand, he smiled. "Anything."

From there, she told him about their circumstance- starting from when Ryan encountered Cleo at the graduation party, going on to mention Sophie's proposal to head to Mako again and assess the damage, and finishing by explaining how Ryan stole Will's information on Mako Island. When he asked what he could do to assist them, she went into detail about the plan they had formulated the day beforehand, and what role he would have in the overall plot.

"So, I have to ask Ryan and Sophie if I could come with them on their trip?" Zane clarified, looking to Rikki for confirmation. "What if they deny?"

"Well, tell them that you paid for the equipment they're using, so you deserve compensation. The least they could do is get you on board with it."

"I suppose so. And Lewis is going to come with us?"

"Yes, but he will only follow behind you guys, and make sure the coast is clear. When he's ready, he'll give the signal for us to block off the land and water entrances to the Moon Pool, while you stay with Ryan and Sophie. Worst comes to worst, you can try to distract them, but otherwise, I think this is foolproof."

"Wow, you three really thought of everything."

"What can I say? Mako is our home. We can't let it fall into the wrong hands."

 _Can't let it fall into the wrong hands_. The phrase rang through his mind, setting off ripples within an ocean of regret. There was a great amount that was left unsaid due to the countless ignorant mistakes he had made within the course of the year, much of which dealt with his and Rikki's relationship. Kissing Sophie, disregarding Rikki's mermaid issues, putting the café's needs above all else…

Destroying Mako….

He saw this as an opportunity to mend fences and fix all broken ties with his former girlfriend. He didn't express it openly, but their break up sparked a growing pain that resonated in his conscience, reminding him ever so often that he had been oblivious to the apparent deterioration of their relationship. The more and more he began to realize how uncomfortable their conversations had been following that fateful night, the more he realized he was responsible for it. Their connection had indeed _fallen into the wrong hands_ , for it had fallen into his own.

Now it was in his hands once more, and he planned on setting things right.

* * *

"Did you find out what time they're leaving?"

"Yeah, Zane called them and asked. They're leaving at 6 and said they should be out by 8."

"And they're still heading out to look at the damage? Did they mention anything about the crystals?"

"As far as I know, they are still going out to get the crystals. Nothing has changed."

"And they really told Zane everything?"

"Yep. They really didn't have any reason not to trust him. As far as they know, he still wants in for the café, and has broken off ties with me."

"And we're heading there at 5?"

"Affirmative. Lewis will meet us at the Moon Pool when we know for certain that Ryan and Sophie aren't trying to get there early or something. Then we can begin sealing off the area."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later, my shift's about to let out. Be sure to tell Bella after her rehearsal."

"Got it."

* * *

Lewis got his boat together, tossing in the necessities, all the while reflecting on his dream. No matter how many ways he tried to analyze it, he came back to the same nagging question- Was it real? Surely his mind couldn't have come up with such a vivid and incomprehensible situation. There was so much they didn't know, but yet, it seemed as if his dream provided a basis to explain things that he hadn't even considered beforehand- the connection between the crystals and the moon.

The explanation made sense, and was actually rather plausible. In his dream, it was a blue moon, and the crystals were providing some sort of energy to the moon that the moon reflected back as blue light, seemed simple enough. However, Cleo was also drained of her energy, which made him question if the energy in the crystals was the same magic that made her a mermaid. Maybe she had adapted to being a vessel of that magic. That would explain why she was fading, her physical form depended on the moon's power that coursed through her, but that was being pulled away from her by the crystals, which took and directed it to the moon. He could go as far as to say that it was a cycle- the moon stored energy from the crystals, on a full moon it redirected the energy to the crystals (and possibly the Moon Pool) and on certain occasions the moon draws the magic back, or receives excess from certain planetary alignments.

But this was based off of the assumption that the dream was indeed fact, or at least a look into a future outcome. He could have just imagined it out of paranoia, and considering Cleo was the person whom he cared most for, she would have been the most likely 'target' of his insecurities and fears. Ever since finding out that she, Bella and Rikki had to deal with a comet while he was away at the institute, he had been concerned that one day he wouldn't be there to help them if they were in danger, and that he'd be responsible if any damage was done. That might have been projected into his dream, that same feeling of helplessness that had washed over him.

He recalled the reoccurring dream he had back when he was dating Charlotte, of Cleo being discovered on a beach, and remembered when she was almost caught in public at the Marine Park hours later. While at the time he shrugged it off as a coincidence, he did occasionally wonder if the two events were connected in a way. If they were, then is it possible that his recent dream could become a reality? He really wasn't sure at this point, he would have to wait and see what happens next.

While lost in his thoughts, he heard someone coming up from behind him and jumped.

"Relax, it's only me."

"Zane, what are you doing here?" Lewis looked up at the brown eyed brunette, puzzled as to why Zane of all people would want to see him.

"Ryan and Sophie just asked me to check out the equipment on their boat, to make sure they have everything. I figured you'd be here, I haven't exactly had a conversation with you since you left, so I wanted to talk."

"Well, sure. Talk away." Lewis sat on the edge of the dock and ushered for Zane to come and sit beside of him, which he reluctantly did. To be honest, he didn't expect Lewis to act so casual, he had guessed that Rikki had ranted about how 'stupid and deceitful he had been during their relationship' to Lewis in an attempt to catch him up on what happened while he was away. With that in mind, and the fact that they hadn't formed the strongest bond before he had left, he had figured that he would have expressed more of a disliking to his friend's former boyfriend. However, he didn't seem phased. Perhaps his agreement to assist in their plan had redeemed him more than he originally thought it would.

"So, how was the institute? It must be great to work with colleagues on your level of education."

"It's pretty amazing, I'm not going to lie. However, it's incredibly cold, definitely a change from Australia. Even though it's summer here, it's winter there, so I'm using my winter break to visit. I met up with Emma once."

"Really? She came to visit?"

"She actually didn't know I was there. She was in New York at the time, and just happened to bump into me at a local café. We talked for a little while and I showed her my dorm, but she had to leave for Chicago the next day, so we didn't have much time to see each other."

"I don't suppose Cleo's been dying to visit for some time?"

"It's practically all she ever talks about when we video chat. I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up swimming over to New York for a visit one day."

There was a pause between the two, the sounds of the ocean echoing through the air. Lewis dared to speak up once more.

"How are things between you and Rikki? I kind of figured they'd be tense, but I didn't want to make any assumptions."

"They could be better, but we're working on it. I'm hoping we can put it behind us, and start over."

"Well, that's good. You two always were on and off. I'm sure that you'll get through it, you always do."

"Yeah, I suppose. Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being there for the girls, and Rikki. I understand I can be ignorant at times, and I really didn't mean for it to go as far as it did. Just, look out for her, okay? While we're still trying to mend things."

"Alright, I will."

The two continued talking for some time, but eventually had to go back to their jobs, Zane going off to meet Ryan and Sophie at their boat to double check supplies and such, and Lewis driving off ahead of them towards Mako on his boat. Checking the time, he found it was quarter until 5, the four of them had agreed to meet up at the Moon Pool at 5. He sped through the water, and spotted the island. From there, he found a secluded landing spot for his boat, where he was sure Sophie and Ryan wouldn't find it unless they were intentionally looking for it, and jumped off the side, making the long trek to the Moon Pool. He silently prayed that everything would go as planned.


	5. Klutzy Catfish Part One

**Chapter Five: Part One**

 **Heya Everybody! I am SO sorry for not updating this frequently- Gosh, has it already been three months? Anyway, I promise I'll try to devote more time to this. So you know how I said a lot of stuff would happen in this chapter? Well, I may have not been truthful. While a lot of things did happen per say, I didn't accomplish the whole 'Ryan and Sophie Confrontation At Mako' like I intended to. Yeah. I realized that as I was writing this, there would be no way to fit the whole subplot in there along with some of the additional things without it being AT LEAST 5,000 words in a single chapter and that would've been a doozy, lol. So, I'm going to segment this into two parts. This will be part one, while the next part, part two, will come out somewhere around late November/early December if I am lucky. Anyway, this is by far the shortest chapter I've made, but the one I'm most proud of wording-wise. I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

"Dr. Seifert! I've obtained it!"

"Yes? You were successful?"

"Indeed. I have the tape on hand right now."

"And they don't suspect a thing?"

"Not at all. But I'm afraid we have other issues to be concerned about.."

* * *

Under the waves, the trio torpedoed towards the island, exchanging occasional glances anxiously. The environment was a rather tense one, the alleviation that propelling through the water faster than any known being normally brought was absent now; very much due to the underlying reality of their most recent affair. Now, each one of them was haunted by their own innermost feelings and trepidations that none would willingly admit to.

For Rikki, it was the anticipated loyalty of their recently recruited ally that was driving her nerves. Months following his betrayal, she had been very adamant on avoiding all sources of confrontation with Zane- whether it was her heartbreak driving her desistence or her usually non-existent rationality, she didn't know, nor cared.

She, in secrecy, made a pledge to herself years prior, after her mother had abandoned her and never returned- that she'd never let herself get hurt again. And what she thought was the best approach, was indeed isolating herself, assuming the role of a 'lone wolf'. It had worked for a while, until that momentous day when she wittingly stole the spark plug from her future ex, and made the (both literal and metaphorical) leap into a life-changing friendship and mystery, all in the name of justice.

Who ever thought that Rikki, of all people, would later see the hidden potential underneath the apparent arrogance and bitterness displayed in his nature?

Even after everything they had went through, being two 'lone wolves' alone together, he still reverted back. He still kissed Sophie. He still acted nonchalantly despite the repercussions of their situation. He still played a crucial part in the devastation of the Moon Pool, the very same place where their relationship had first reconciled, had accounted for its demise.

Yet here he was, given the chance to tear down the infrastructure of her gradually recovering heart again, all because they needed his assistance, she needed his assistance.

The worst part was, deep down, there was a wisp of hope that she held onto, a flickering light amidst a sea of memory and treachery, that he could change. And she despised the fact she didn't want to let go of it.

For Cleo, it was the very evident guilt that weighed her down. Out of the three, she was always considered the most in touch with her emotions, and relying of others. Of course, after Emma and Lewis had left, she had begun to shoulder a considerably level-headed role within their pact. But, on occasion, she'd find herself clasping onto blind faith, such an impulse that heaved severe consequences on her end.

She carried a lot of regrets. At times she'd find herself trusting her gut when she shouldn't have, and doubting her instincts when instead she should have utilized them, breaking down her already dwindling sense of self-suffiency and confidence. While Rikki was bold and frequently obstructive, Emma was always supportive, as well as dependable, and she was sort of phased in between.

She was water- easily movable, easily manipulated. It was that all-too-familiar trait that ultimately led to her seeking out Ryan's assistance, despite being deliberately advised not to. When the odds were not in his favor, she still yearned to believe that his intentions were pure, until logic overwhelmed her gullibility.

She knew, internally, that it was her own doing that brought Ryan (and later on, Sophie) closer to their identities. Heck, they wouldn't even be speeding their way to Mako at this very moment had she realized how dangerous seeking his consent really was. It was coherent, and very much blatant, that, if they were to succeed in their excavation, no amount of 'I'm sorry' would change how this ended.

For Bella, well, Bella just felt general apprehension throughout the whole ordeal, specifically for Will. He was forced to choose a side from the get-go; his sister, or his girlfriend. Being a witness to Sophie's ultimately lowest, and most deceitful, point in her life, Bella perceived, must be extremely disheartening and dispiriting.

Recalling the time her parents were away on what she thought was a business trip at the time, when in truth, they were foraging across the country for a cure to her 'mermaidness', there was a perception of betrayal within their deeds. Having a loved-one being ignorant to your best interests is, in its own way, another burden added onto the list, and that was essentially what was happening to her boyfriend.

And the crystals- she could not shake the intuition that something was bound to occur to the formidable relic; (What was the word? Ah, yes, premonition.) It's intimidatingly immense storage of power was enough to make one cower under its sight, if knowledgeable of its abilities. Even she, who had cherished the necklace from which the rock hung since she had uncovered it nine years ago, now found herself flinching under its weight, icy cold against her skin.

She was well aware that if Ryan and Sophie obtained them, they would virtually have the power of Mako in their possession. They weren't even certain that the duo had the capability to wield and harness such energy; or if the magic of the full moon had transferred into the stones, making it all the more probable that those who come in contact with it could gain an 'aquatic development.' Having two more additions into their group was _definitely_ a dilemma they preferred to avoid.

All of this, in a matter of minutes, circulated through their mind like a swift, unfaltering convectional current, as frothing bubbles escaped from the immense pressure altercation and blurred their already obscured line of vision.

Upon resurfacing, they were greeted by a familiar scientist, who sat cross-legged by the sea water-filled basin. The cavern was, as per usual, enclosed with jagged stones of all masses and sizes, but the structure itself was noticeably diminishing, the strain on its foundation quite conspicuous. With closer inspection, one could observe the various cracks and crevices, and track its origins to the gaping depression that left the remaining crystals exposed. Yet again, the trio detected a lack of a powerful aura that would normally encompass the pool. Instead, there was a haunting presence in its demeanor- very somber and despondent, which made them all shiver sporadically.

"This place seems so.. dead." Rikki remarked, earning collective nods from the group.

"It is." Lewis announced dismally, sorting through all of his materials and gathering them into a case. "I've measured the electromagnetic field in here twice now- it's considerably lower. And look; my compass isn't heading in an undetermined direction, it's stable. Whatever made this place special is gone now."

"So the magic, it's not coming back." Bella concluded.

"I'm afraid it's not." He heard his words quiver as they fell out of his mouth unconsciously. "Unless.."

' _What's happening?' 'Lewis, I'm scared.' 'You need to warn Bella and Rikki. It won't get to them then.' 'You need to warn… you need to warn.. it won't get to them. You need to..' 'GO!'_

His perspired palms were desperate to grasp onto something, he suddenly became aware that the ground was slipping from underneath his already unsteady feet, as if he were gradually falling, drowning, in an eternal void of nothingness. The blood pounded within his eardrums, and he lost the multitude of his senses, besides an overwhelmingly large amount of panic and discomposure. A lump formulated within his throat, as he, progressively, found his way back to reality, back to the Moon Pool, back to where nothing would happen and all is well, and where all of their concerns were nonexistent. Where his fears were just that, and proved to be his anxiety getting the better of him, instead of (this, he involuntarily scoffed at) submitting himself to 'fate's' twisted ordeals.

And as far away from those _nightmares_ as humanly possible..

"Lewis? Are you alright?" Cleo held a firm, yet consoling clasp on his shoulder. Immediately, he felt a chill go down his spine, and the color rush back to his cheeks. "Huh?"

"You zoned out a bit. What did you mean by 'unless'? Do you have a way to restore the Moon Pool?"

"What? Oh, i-it was nothing. The variables aren't consistent, it wouldn't have worked anyway.." The first lie I've ever uttered to Cleo. But if they knew, if I knew for certain, it'd be causing them more grief then I could ever impose upon them.. It's better this way, right? To live a lie where everything is, well, semi-content, than to openly admit to it aloud and witness growing concern among my friends?

"Something is better than nothing. After all, you're the one with all the 'theoretical mumbo gumbo' and stuff. You've got to have at least some idea as to how to revamp this place."

"Yeah, surely if you told us-"

"It. Was. _Nothing_." The warning tone in his voice was enough to silence the three of them, without any response or interjection necessary. He sighed heavily, and turned to face the others. "I suppose I should be heading off then. You know what to do."

* * *

It was their eyes that betrayed their undesired dependency on him.

It was as if they were virtually shouting 'It's all on you!' without any verbiage. The implication of such reliance was enough to make him sweat under their glances, that hauled the weight of the world directly onto his shoulders. Immediately, all of the 'We don't need your help!' and 'We'll be fine on our own, Lewis!' remarks flooded back to him, and made him internally snicker at the situational irony.

"Well, I personally thought it was obvious." Their hope-plastered expressions, quite suddenly, shifted into a state of skepticism.

"You'll need someone unsuspecting, who was aligned with Ryan and Sophie once before, who can, essentially, infiltrate their operation without any speculation. Someone exactly like.."

"Zane." Rikki stated/groaned within the same sentence.

"Exactly. He can be your eyes and ears. Despite your objections, let's face it, you'll have to follow them to Mako Island. The only way to protect the Moon Pool is to do it from the inside, and to accomplish that, you'll need someone to listen in from the outside." He added.

"I don't get it, how are we going to listen in on everything that happens? It's not like he can just randomly leave Ryan and Sophie to update us on what's happening."

Cleo's smile broadened in sudden realization. "Unless there was an informant between the two groups.." He dipped his head in assertion.

"That's were I come into play. I'll go and watch from afar and report back when they're getting close to the Moon Pool. Then, to effectively block them from getting in, Bella is going to have to seal off the entrances- both land and sea."

"Wait a moment, I can't just put a glass blockade in front of the Moon Pool and expect them to believe it somehow made its way there overnight. That's pretty farfetched."

"And to that, I'll reply with a question- have you ever considered the resemblance between your hardened-water solution and salt crystals?" He questioned her.

"No, I hadn't really thought about-" Before she could give a proper response, she was cut off by his rambling.

"Well, on occasion, supersaturated sea water will flood within caves and immediately evaporate afterwards. This leaves rooms for the salt molecules to arrange in a regularly repeating pattern and form salt crystals. Given the rise in temperature and overall change in the Moon Pool's conditions, this could very well serve to explain the occurrence. If anything, they'd probably wonder how a process that takes hundreds of years to complete is done within the timespan of two days, however, they're already well aware of how unique the place is, hence the _crystal-napping_."

"So I'll just have to make it look as though it had naturally formed.." Bella debriefed.

"Yep. Once they've given up trying to find a way in, I'll give the signal to let the barrier down."

"And what might that signal be, oh wise one? Since you've apparently figured out everything else in advance." Rikki comments, raising her eyebrows in expectancy.

"How about-" He paused momentarily, processing her request and meeting her dissatisfied gaze. "-klutzy catfish?"

"Oh, I get it. It's like you're referencing yourself, since you're, you know, the _signaler_." The smug look she gave him made him wonder if she had used her powers, for all of a sudden he felt his face burning in an embarrassed fashion.

 _Ouch_.

* * *

"The Graduation Party had went as anticipated. I was able to grab the tape without any issues- that Bennett kid really has to work on their café security measures. Anyway, the assignment you required me to complete, sir, was accomplished accordingly."

"But what went wrong, Kingston?"

"I suppose you should see for yourself."

Kingston, attired in a slate blazer and flannel undershirt, inserted a disk within his computer, as he began to rapidly tap on the keyboard, Seifert joining alongside him. Straightaway, the screen opened up to a monochromatic video, featuring two teenagers, a man and a woman, who seemed to be conversing. He swiftly turned up the volume to overhear their confabulation.

 _"Look, I really didn't mean any harm, I only wanted to go out there to run some tests, examine the area, to-"_

 _"Ryan, you and I both know that this was about more than just tests…"_

 _"Sure, I did go out to excavate the crystals, but it would've been a scientific discovery! There are no accounts of that rock anywhere on Earth! It's unknown to man!"_

 _"Don't you understand how dangerous that was? You could have done much more damage than you've already done. That island means so much to-"_

He sped up the recording, and expanded the view to focus on the duo.

 _"Fine, but I'll let you know, I will find out. I will find out what is so different about you."_

 _"I-is that a threat?"_

 _"Maybe, maybe not."_

 _"What's that supposed to mean?"_

They observed profoundly as Kingston came up from behind the woman, spilling the contents of his drink on her torso. The woman, in a plight of shock, let out a grunt and sprinted out of their visibility range, much to the man, Ryan's, distraught. Kingston's babbled apologies went unnoticed by the two, as he concealed himself in the accumulating crowd of people who had followed after the incident, stealing a brisk grin back at the scene he had created.

"That man, Ryan-" Seifert affirmed. "-he's going to cause some trouble. We're going to have to find a way to.. restrain him."

"I beg your pardon Dr. Seifert, but how are we to do that?" Kingston inquired curiously.

"Simple. We must give him what he desires most-"

"-a crystal."


End file.
